The fashion was classier, the punters more inquisitive and the weather perfect for this year's Marlborough Wine Festival on Saturday. All bar a few hundred of the 8000 tickets available sold, which the festival committee was happy with, festival co-ordinator Andrea Craig said.
It had been a financially tight year for most people and tickets to events around the country were not selling well, she said. "People are choosing which events to go to rather than going to everything and they are still choosing the wine festival as the priority for what they want to attend.
The festival had a good chilled-out vibe this year, she said. "Everyone had a really good day and the crowd managed themselves really well."A temperature of 27 degrees Celsius, intermittent clouds and light winds were ideal, she said. Stallholders said there were more people exploring all types of wines and indulging in food to complement them, rather than simply getting drunk.
Saint Clair Family Estate managing director Neal Ibbotson said there had been quite a few overseas visitors this year which was great for Marlborough wine's profile. He found most punters were after a glass of sauvignon blanc bubbly or chardonnay. More people were asking for specific wines and were keen to learn about the vineyard and the wines, he said.
Cloudy Bay Vineyards cellar door manager Tiffany Guillemot said food was a big part of punters' days. The judges of the Fashion in the Vines competition said the standard of entries was higher than past years.
Christelle van Straaten, a South African who lives in Sydney, wore a vintage outfit complete with 19th-century parasol to take the title. She teamed her ivory Trelise Cooper dress bought in Wellington, with a fascinator with Parisian lace, beads from Venice, and jewels from United States.
The 27-year-old is engaged to Daniel Orchard, who is from Kenepuru Sound. She said she had a great time at her first wine festival. "It's lovely, it's been fun dressing up. I'm very privileged to be a part of it."
She won an Interislander family pass, a magnum of Deutz Marlborough Cuvee, a piece of Guthrie and Steele sterling silver jewellery, and a pair of Kathryn Wilson shoes.
St John event co-ordinator Tony Cronin said seven people between 18 and 25 years old were treated for intoxication and sent home with responsible friends. Two were treated for cuts and made their own way to Wairau Hospital for stitches. "We're pretty happy that was all we treated, nothing serious, no one transported to hospital."
Sergeant Jason Munro, of Blenheim, said on the whole the behaviour was good.Drunken levels were still a bit higher than police would like, and some people took on more drink than they could handle, he said.
"Especially the young ladies who seem to drink too much and don't have the people there to look after them," Mr Munro said. Two men were arrested at the festival for minor incidents, and one was detained for detox. He said it was a small number out of the thousands of revellers.
Matches Made in Marlborough
All the ingredients of caesar salad and salmon sushi crammed delicately into a bite-sized bundle of taste, washed down with a Marlborough bubbly five years in the making, was judged the best of the Marlborough Wine Festival 2011.
Highfield Estate won the supreme food and wine match at the festival with a salmon sushi caesar alongside its Elstree Cuvee Brut 2006. Highfield winemaker Al Soper and executive chef Matt Gibson were pleased with their win because matching food and wine is what the winery is all about, they said.
Mr Soper said matching food to wine was art and science. "Some people say you want to match similar flavours, like sweet with sweet; but we often find it's the other way around. Competing flavours lift the dish and the total flavour."Mr Gibson said the quality of the entries was increasing every year, and this was an exceptionally good year.
"A lot of thought goes into making a dish to suit wine."All that thought won't be wasted by serving the dish and the wine only at the festival. "Once we won the award someone made a suggestion that we should put it on as an entree at the restaurant."The dish will be served at least until the end of summer at the Brookby Rd winery.Highfield was runner-up in last year's contest.
Head judge Belinda Jackson said the standard was fantastic and the judges had a great job tasting all 15 food and wine matches. Two Rivers Wines won the people's choice award along with Marlborough Smoked Salmon. Figaro's Cafe came second for its aged sirloin steak sandwich matched with Nautilus Estate's 2009 pinot noir.
It was the first time the cafe had entered the competition. Owner Joe Johnston and head chef Rebecca Hill said the cafe had been asked to partner with Nautilus after catering for the winery's Christmas party.
Mr Johnston said they were happy to be different and break away from the usual match of food with a white wine, and take on a red instead. "We're pretty rapt. Not bad for our first time round."Bon Vivant Corporate Catering was third with its surf and turf sandwich.
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